“Victoria evokes rotting houses, water-clogged corpses floating in rivers, sacred and profane time, and obscene rituals that bring the characters nearer and nearer to a great cosmic evil. Whereas the beings of Victoria’s previous novel Wounded Little Gods could be cruel, capricious, and benevolent, the god at the center of Ascension is a singular, malevolent entity that destroys the observer once she dares look at it, though Victoria’s breakneck prose compels you to read until the final, haunting image.” – Rolling Stone Philippines
“Eliza Victoria’s Ascension is an electric horror novel that operates within a haunting dystopian landscape that’s equal parts otherworldly and familiar. Here, the author, with her sharp prose, tackles familial abuse, violence, and a shared despondency in a broken society by way of usual objects of dread: haunted houses, senseless corpses, and corporate greed on steroids. It’s also a great piece of speculative fiction that weaves together the tragedy of the diaspora with our doomed sense of escapism.” – Esquire Philippines
“Award-winning author Eliza Victoria has many acclaimed works, but with Ascension, she fully immerses readers in the eerie atmosphere of Santa Clara, where a dark presence haunts a rotting house—sitting on a bed, preventing anyone from falling asleep. With visceral prose and haunting themes of isolation, Ascension is a book best read with the lights on.” – Pulp Magazine
𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺…
Something lives in a rotting house in the town of Santa Clara.
Emilia has not thought of this house for years, until a chance meeting with Alma, an old friend from her hometown.
When Alma suddenly dies, Emilia finds her way back to Santa Clara, to her circle of friends who rekindle memories of a bizarre ritual left unfinished.
Of a dark visitor who sits by their bed at night, of a being who won’t let them sleep.
Must they once again awaken whoever dwells in that lonely house?
Penguin Random House Southeast Asia
Available in major bookstores
July 30, 2024
Amazon (US, International link)
November 26, 2024
Eliza Victoria 